APH COVID-19 in the media: APH researchers Petra Verdonk and Irene van Valkengoed in Trouw about gender differences during and after the corona crisis

As corona measures are drawn up, differences in health and (economic) position should be taken into consideration. Because they can turn out quite differently, as warned by Petra Verdonk and Irene van Valkengoed on behalf of the Dutch Society Gender&Health in Trouw.

Over a week ago, prime minister Rutte announced that the measures put in place to tackle the current crisis are being extended. On the short term these should be effective in protecting the population’s health and preventing straining our health care. Verdonk and van Valkengoed urge that research on this virus and evaluation of measures should take into consideration the differences in (un)wanted effects on health of men and women.

At the moment, research is being financed and started in an admirable pace. In doing so, it is essential that man-woman differences are taken into account. For example, there appears to be a difference in mortality. Such differences could be attributed to gender, biological differences that affect the course of an infection, such as a less efficient immune system in men. Unfortunately, reporting gender differences in statistics is non standard.